An Injury to One is an Injury to All!VOL. 119

NO. 11NOVEMBER 28, 2012WEDNESDAY

(ISSN 0023-6667)

See Rukavina...page 5

Poor Rep. Tom Rukavina couldn’t believe how he had beentreated by his friends at a roast in his honor in Mt. Iron Nov.19. Over 25 roasters got even and gave it to him good as heretires from the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Bangladesh fire tragediesare far too common

By Al LaFrenier, Labor ActivistThe day after Black Friday, America’s shopping

showdown filled with door busting deals, over 1700garment factory workers in Dhaka Bangladesh werefrantically trying to find a door out of their factory inorder to escape a fire that had engulfed their building.

Over 120 did not make it out and were incinerat-ed or jumped from the top floors of an eight story building totheir deaths. It was the only choice they had because thereweren’t enough fire escapes to escape the inferno.

News reports say the factory was operated by Tazreen Fash-ions Ltd. a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, a major Bangladeshigarment exporter which supplies Walmart, Carrefour, IKEA andother major retailers in the United States and Europe.

The story is all too familiar in Bangladesh: hundreds havedied since 2006 in factories whose working conditions aredeplorable and fire prevention measures are secondary to profits.

In 2001 I did a fire safety project in Bangladesh in the gar-ment factory sector of their economy. I worked with SolidarityCenter people to design a program to train trainers and workersin how to identify fire safety problems and how to safely escapefrom their workplaces. We trained workers in Dhaka andChittagong and formed safety committees inside their plants.

The day after I got on the ground in Bangladesh a fire brokeout in a factory in the Mirpur district in Dhaka. The iron gates tothe factory were locked and 23 workers, mostly young women,were crushed to death by workers trying to escape from the fac-tory. The factory owners ordered the front gate locked in order toprevent workers from stealing thread. The factory owners wereconvicted of negligence and were fined about $18.00 U.S. dol-lars for all the workers killed, no one went to jail for locking thegates.

In press releases as of this writing from the BGMEA,Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association,they will stand behind their pledge to pay families of thedeceased workers $1250.00/worker, a pittance for a lost lovedone.

Walmart and every company receiving garments from thesefactories have been inside of them and know first hand the work-ing conditions their garments are made under. They will all con-demn the conditions and the actions of the owners of these fac-tories but they continue to use them to supply their stores fortheir “door busting” everyday prices.

The program we designed and implemented won anInternational Health and Safety Award but people are still dying

in these factories. It seems thatlittle has been done to changethe culture of production-at-any-cost even if it costs the lives ofthe workers making our clothes.We as consumers must insist thatthe clothes we buy not come atthe cost of workers’ lives.

Al LaFrenier was a memberof UNITE when the AFL-CIOrequested someone from thatunion help research and designa fire safety program and workwith the stake holders on theground in Bangladesh.

Great pleasure taken in roasting Rukavina(his 2010 gubernatorial cam-paign slogan), and oncereferred to himself as the lovechild of Paul Wellstone andJesse Ventura. When I wasHennepin County Attorney andthe legislature was consideringchanging the DUI law from .1to .08, which I agreed with, hesaid go out with me in my pick-up and a six pack and I’llchange your mind.

Sen. David Tomassoni:Guido, as Tom called Tomas-soni, set the record straight onTom’s House floor speech onthe .1 to .08 change saying Tomsaid “we wake up at .08 on theIron Range.” Tom’s new wife,Jean Cole (Editor of Virginia’sHometown Focus) is reallywonderful for taking so muchpressure off all of us.

Tony Sertich, former stateRep. 5B and IRRRB Commis-sioner: Don’t believe that Tomcame up with all his stuff onthe fly he practiced it, likewhen state Auditor Pat Awadawas screwing the Range, Tomcame up with calling herOsama bin Awada. I kept himfrom saying it for awhile but heused it at a closed meeting atValentini’s in Chisholm and itwent over big. Next day I get acall from House leadershipasking what the hell were we

roasters stretched nearly theentire length of the huge room.It was going to be a long night.The roast lasted three hoursand 25 minutes, after an hourfor a bratwurst supper.

As the evening wore on thestories changed, were correct-ed, and expanded on as drinkglasses and bottles tinkled onthe floor. There were a lot ofthem – stories that is. Here’s alittle of the evening’s flavor:

Gov. Dayton: Listening toMargaret Kelliher Anderson(House Speaker 2007-2011)Tom asked me if I thought shethinks before she speaks, say-ing I never think until mymouth opens.

Tom you were a championfor the Iron Range and for allMinnesotans who needed achampion, because you spokefrom your convictions, yourheart and your soul.

Ida Rukavina (daughter,AFSCME Council 65 rep.):My dad fought hard for laborlaws at the Capitol but at homethere were child labor issueswith splitting and stacking firewood, weeding the garden, andother chores. That was trueeven for friends who slept over.

Sen. Klobuchar: Tom is apopulist, a progressive, a streetfighter, a union man, a greatspeaker, refreshingly honest

From all accounts heardNov. 19th, Tom Rukavina start-ed getting roasted soon after hewas born in 1950. But lastweek the abuse hit its peak inMt. Iron as over two dozenpeople took shots at the staterepresentative who is leavingoffice after serving since 1986.

Mt. Iron’s Community Cen-ter was packed with about 500people who came for the roastand scholarship fundraiser.

Rukavina, DFL-Pike Town-ship, announced in May that hewould not seek another termafter 26 years representing theeastern Iron Range. He wouldhave been an even more pow-erful figure in the legislaturehad he stayed on, with his partywinning the majority back in adramatic comeback on electionday. In true Rukavina fashion,he’s never looked back aftermaking his decision to retire.He’s recently remarried anddoting over grandchildren hesays. THE ROAST

Rukavina is held in suchhigh esteem that U.S. SenatorsAmy Klobuchar and AlFranken were in attendance, aswas Congressman-elect RickNolan. Governor Mark Daytonwas there as were Rukavinalegislative colleagues fromaround the state. The table of

Add your name to thoseasking Congress to work

in the next month onNO more tax cuts for therichest 2%, and NO bene-fit cuts to Social Security,

Medicare, or Medicaid.Visit www.afl cio.org/

ProtectOurFuture or callMembers of Congress at

888-659-9401. (See page 2 for more)

Pressure to be on lame duck Congress for 30 days to stand with families

Holiday help for union families available

At 7:00 a.m. Friday, Nov.30, the North East Area LaborCouncil and coalition partnersthe Citizen’s Federation, TheAction, and Take ActionMinnesota will start a “30Hours for 30 Days” candlelightvigil in front of the Gerald W.Heaney Federal Building in theDuluth Civic Center. The vigilwill ask the lame duck Con-gress to stand with workingfamilies.

“Shifts are two hours inlength and we encourageactivists and volunteers to sign

County tax levy, budget Dec. 6The St. Louis County Board will hold a public meeting to

receive comments on its 2013 proposed tax levy and operatingbudget on Thursday, December 6, at 7 p.m. in the County BoardRoom on the second floor of the Duluth Courthouse.

Formerly known as the Truth in Taxation hearing, the meet-ing’s name was changed to comply with state statute. But thepurpose remains the same – to allow the public the opportunityto communicate opinions regarding the proposed property taxlevy and budget for the coming year. The public meeting willinclude a presentation about the proposed budget and CountyAdministration’s priorities for the coming year.

The County Board in September set the maximum levy at$111,669,173 – a 1.5 percent increase over 2012. The Board isscheduled to vote on the final levy and budget at its December11 meeting in the County Board Room in Duluth.

Call 218-726-2450 or visit stlouiscountymn.gov for more.

up for the shifts that runthrough 11 am Saturday,December 1st,” said NEALCfield organizer Zach Sias. “Wewill be holding a rally andpress conference at that time toinclude speakers from the com-munity and local political lead-ers to pressure lame duck rep-resentatives to say NO to taxbreaks for the richest 2%.”

You can help by signing upfor shifts at http://tinyurl.com/theactionduluth, donating sup-plies for volunteers and byattending the rally/press con-

ference December 1st. “Our coalition will continue

to grow in order to organizeweekly events” Sias said. “OnMonday December 10--International Human RightsDay-- the AFL-CIO is holdinga national day of action toagain urge this lame duckCongress to say NO to any cutsto Social Security, Medicare, orMedicaid. Our action will beheld at the Duluth HeaneyFederal Building. Time anddetails will be announced soon.Individuals interested in any

upcoming local actions shouldvisit americawantstowork.org.

A new report released by theAFL-CIO, says 882,408 Min-nesotans could be negativelyimpacted if Congress cutsSocial Security, including115,780 with disabilities and59,076 children. Of the879,145 Minnesotans who getMedicaid health care coverage,422,219 children and 96,039seniors could be affected if thelame duck Congress makescuts to Medicaid benefits.Social Security, Medicare andMedicaid combined deliver

$26 billion per year intoMinnesota’s economy.

If the Bush tax cuts arerenewed, the richest 2% inMinnesota would receive anaverage of $29,690 in tax cuts,while the rest of us wouldreceive an average of $1,370.

The House GOP budgetplan would cut federal supportto Minnesota’s Medicaid pro-gram by at least $16.9 billionover 10 years (www.aflcio.org/StateFactSheets).

Contact Zach Sias at (218)409-9246, zach@nealc.org

The Community ServicesProgram, a partnership bet-ween the United Way ofGreater Duluth and the CentralLabor Body, is working withlocal unions to identify fami-lies who are eligible for partic-ipation in the Holiday FoodBasket and “Santa Sack” pro-grams.

If your family or a familyyou know is in need of some

help this holiday season pleasecontact your union so they canpass your information on to theCommunity Services.

That Committee is lookingfor locals and/or individualswho would be willing to adoptchildren of union families andfulfill a child’s wish list. Adultgifts are also accepted.

If you are interested in par-ticipating as a volunteer for the

Santa Sack event or would bewilling to sponsor a family,please contact LynetteSwanberg at 218-726-4775,commservices@unitedwayduluth.org as soon as possible.

WI high schoolessay deadlineIn April 2013 the Wisconsin

Labor History Society HighSchool (grades 9-12) EssayContest will award these cashprizes to its winners: $500 for1st, $300 for 2nd, $200 for 3rd,and up to five, $100 HonorableMention awards.

Submissions must be post-marked by Feb. 15, 2013 orbefore. Talk to union membersand then in about 750 words,write an essay on the followingtheme: “Unions have beenimportant to my family and mycommunity because . . .”

Essays must be typed, dou-ble-spaced, on white paper.They will be judged on under-standing, original research,writing style and significance.Two copies must be submitted(one may be a photocopy).

On a cover sheet give yourname, address, home phonenumber, grade in school, nameand address of your school, andif your teacher encouraged orassisted you. List any familyunion membership.

Send completed essays to:Prof. Harvey J. Kaye, Centerfor History and Social Change,University of Wisconsin-GreenBay, Green Bay WI 54311.Contact him at 920-465-2355,kayeh@uwgb.edu or visith t t p : / / w i s c o n s i nlaborhistory.org.

PAGE 2 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

SHEET METAL WORKERSDuluth-Superior area

Your Christmas meeting is Monday, Dec. 10, 5:00 p.m., at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Training Center & Duluth, IronRange & Bemidji Regional Local 10 Union Office, 6279 Industrial Road, Saginaw, MN.

Iron Range areaYour Christmas Meeting will beTuesday, Dec. 11, 7:00 p.m., atthe Hibbing Park Hotel.

Bemidji areaYour Holiday Party will be Thursday, Jan. 24, 6:00 p.m., at the Garden Grill.

Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served at the meetings, which all our SheetMetal Retirees are encouraged to attend.

~Doug Christy, Business Rep.

Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 10Retirees’ LuncheonTuesday, Dec. 4, 1:00 p.m.

Grizzly’s (Canal Park)

I.U.O.E. Local 70Monthly Arrowhead Regional Meeting

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, 5:00 P.M. Duluth Labor Center, Hall B

Dave Monsour, Business Manager, (651) 646-4566

Ironworker RetireesMonthly BreakfastThursday, Dec. 20

9:00 a.m.West Duluth Perkin’s

Heat & Frost Insulators Local 49Notice of Nominations

At our next regular union meeting, Friday, Dec. 14,2012 we will accept nominations for recording secre-tary. The election will take place at our Friday, Jan.11, 2013 meeting. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

~Dick Webber, Business Manager

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A number of folks wereamazed, as I was, at how manybusinesses were displayingpolitical signs this past electionseason. Almost all of themwere for Republicans and oftenthey had lots of signs that ranthe ballot from top to bottom.

If I ran a business (gee, I do)the last thing I’d want to do ispiss off (Rep. Rukavina says“piss” is not a swear word)anyone who may want to comein and spend money with me.Even tea party leaders like theKortesmakis at London RoadRental, etc. didn’t put signsout. They’re letter to the editortypes, as are many.

Everyone is entitled to theiropinion and to do as theyplease as long as they’re will-ing to suffer the consequencesas our old Denfeld motto said.

Political signs in front ofbusinesses is a rather new phe-

nomenon. GOPers are muchmore aggressive since theywon in 2010. They had theirday, but they don’t care enoughabout the broad cross section ofvoters to have a lasting impact.We’ll wait to see what happensin 2014, of course. Mid-termelections are always tough on asitting president’s party.

Businesses don’t want topay taxes or be told how tooperate. They should be able todump waste in a river or cheaton taxes because they supplyjobs. They evidently don’t careif consumers have money tospend either. I’m sure timeswere really good for businessduring the Clinton boom butthey wouldn’t admit it. Give’em the GWBush years. Theycan have them. As we said dur-ing the Clinton presidency wewere worried too many unionmembers were becomingRepublicans as they watchedthe stock quotes daily.

Did you read SarahLewerenz’ letter in the lastpaper about Bulldog Pizza? Onelection night she had evident-ly asked them to switch theirTV from Fox News to CNNand was told when she owns arestaurant she can tune her TVsas she pleases as they weredoing.

We sent out holiday adrequest letters earlier thismonth. The Reef Bar has prob-ably been advertising in theLabor World for 40 years or so.Not this holiday. Mary from theReef said they won’t becauseof Lewerenz’s “article.”

Mary started out very nicelyin her phone message, even a“good morning,” but by thetime she ended she had gotten

worked up beyond being ableto give a nice goodbye. Click.

She said she was at BulldogPizza that night and Lewerenzwas lying about what hap-pened. Then Mary lit me upand told me why she was nowboycotting the Labor World:

It was a garbage article(actually a letter to the editor)about Bulldog Pizza, which is afamily-owned, locally run busi-ness like the Reef. Nice if theLabor World had gotten theirfacts straight before printingthat garbage. Shame on you! Iknow you’re nothing but prop-aganda but you could havedone a better job.

Mary is now the 100th per-son that has told me I ain’tsquat as a journalist. There’s apattern developing I think aftera couple decades.

I’ve known Sarah a longtime and trusted her to submitan honest letter to the editor. Iwasn’t surprised by her story,without knowing BulldogPizza owners. That’s business.

This story is precisely whythe Labor World was started in1896 and why we’ve struggledfor 116 years to keep afloat.Businesses, maybe more so forunion businesses, don’t want tohelp organized labor. For themost part they don’t even wantto advertise to get customers tocome through their door to ringtheir tills. This paper wasmailed to 18,071 subscribers.

You’ve heard this whinemany times, part of being onthe job too long. The next edi-tor will probably do much bet-ter, if they play nice with busi-ness, especially if they noticeDemocratic or progressivesigns outside establishments.Labor World has a policy of notaccepting ads from a businessthat is in competition with aunionized business. That’sgood policy for our sub-scribers, who need their jobs.What this paper really needs isa kiss-ass manager, or a lyingsack of crap ad sales person.

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012 PAGE 3

LABOR WORLD(ISSN#0023-6667) is published

semi-monthly except one issue inDecember (23 issues).

The known office of publication isLabor World, 2002 London Road,Room 110, Duluth, MN 55812. Periodicals postage is paid at

Duluth MN 55806. POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to: Labor World, 2002 London Rd.,Room 110, Duluth, MN 55812

(218) 728-4469 FAX: (218) 724-1413

laborworld@qwestoffice.netwww.laborworld.org

~ ESTABLISHED 1896 ~Owned by Unions affiliated with the

Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor BodySubscriptions: $22 Annually

Larry Sillanpa, Editor/ManagerDeborah Skoglund, Bookkeeper

Board of DirectorsPres./Treas. Mikael Sundin,Painters & Allied Trades 106;V.P. Paul Iversen, BMWED1710; Sec. Jayme McKenna,AFSCME 66; Al LaFrenier,Workers’ United Midwest Bd;Mike Kuitu, Operating Engineers 49; Dan O’Neill,Plumbers & Steamfitters 11;Steve Risacher, Carpenters361; Dan Leslie, IBEW 31;Stacy Spexet, USW 9460

6 7

Are we bashing Christians?Editor:Yes, we did quite well in this election. Perhaps we as labor

will be represented more fairly.I do take issue with your View from the Ditch. Must you use

it as a bully pulpit to push the Larry Sillanpa agenda? Over theyears you have bashed non-public education, right to life, or any-thing that could be tied to Christian or other organized religions.I respect your right to your opinions, but is the Labor WorldLarry Sillanpa or is it supposed to represent organized labor?

What did you mean by “How many Christians did theRepublicans think live in Minnesota?” Do you think there are noChristians in our unions? Are there no Christians working exceptfor management?

I am happy to open your eyes: Yes, there are Christians andmembers of other religions in the work force! Are we/they allRepublicans? I don’t think so. I know differently. We take theelection process seriously. I pray I make correct choices.Furthermore, I believe there are smart people like “the Repub-licans are paying to figure things out” in the Democratic partytoo.

I am happy to hear you celebrate Christmas. Point of interestthe “X” in Xmas was originated by Christians as a symbol ofChrist and his cross. I’ll put my “X” on your Christmas ballot.

I could get into education and right to life discussions but thatwill have to be another time.

John Talarico, Proctor, MN

Black Friday was pivotalRICHMOND, CALIF. –Mary Kay Henry, president of the 2.1

million-member Service Employees International Union(SEIU), issued the following statement as thousands of Walmartworkers nationwide walked off the job with the support of theircommunities on Black Friday, Nov. 23rd:

“Today’s protests at Walmart stores across the country are areminder of the enormous power of working people uniting todemand a better future with a living wage, affordable healthcareand respect on the job. From this day on, ‘Black Friday’ shouldbe remembered as a pivotal day for working people at Walmartand everywhere.

“I was proud to stand today with Walmart workers like MistyTanner, clergy and community members in Richmond,California, who had the courage to call on Walmart to do rightby its employees and treat them with respect. Despite beingfired a month ago after standing up to her store manager, MistyTanner stood up again today for other Walmart workers who arebeing intimidated, retaliated against, and who cannot make endsmeet, despite their hard work.

“This Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful for courageousworking people at Walmart stores, airports and corporationseverywhere who are rising up to demand a living wage with ben-efits, respect, and a fair shot at the middle class that every work-er should have in the richest nation in the world. It is time forWalmart to take heed and stop putting profits ahead of the work-ers who are critical to their success as the largest retailer in theUnited States.”

This Day In History www.workdayminnesota.orgNov. 25, 1946 - St. Paul teachers, led by women teachers,walked out of classrooms in the first organized teachers’strike in U.S. history. The 1,165 teachers and principals (rep-resented by the union) stayed out until Dec. 27 in their“strike for better schools.” The walkout drew national atten-tion to the plight of public schools, low teacher pay and diffi-cult working conditions. Teachers won a number of reforms.Nov. 28, 1891 - The International Brotherhood of ElectricalWorkers was founded. Today, the IBEW represents approxi-mately 750,000 members who work in utilities, construction,telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroadsand governmentNov. 29, 1999 - Thousands of activists, students, unionmembers, environmentalists and others shut down theWorld Trade Organization (WTO) summit in Seattle. It wasthe first large-scale demonstration in the U. S. to protest thecorporate agenda for the global economy.

~NOTICE~Last 2012 issue is Dec. 19

Issues for 2013 are:Jan 9, 23; Feb. 6, 20; Mar 6, 20; Apr 3, 24;May 8, 22; June 5, 26;July 10, 24; Aug 7, 28;Sep 11, 25; Oct 9, 30;Nov. 13, 26; Dec. 18

The non-profit Labor World, Inc. is theofficial publication of the Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor Body. It is an educa-tional, advocacy newspaper for workersand unions. The views and opinions sub-mitted and expressed in the Labor Worlddo not necessarily reflect the views of thepaper, its Board of Directors or staff, theDuluth AFL-CIO Central Labor Body, itsaffiliated unions, their officers, or staff.

Hundreds join national Black Friday protests outside St. Paul Walmart By Michael MooreEditor, Union AdvocateST. PAUL - Big-box retail-

ers like Walmart pushed theirBlack Friday sales to newextremes this year, but retailworkers and their supportersare pushing back.

More than 200 protesterslined the sidewalk outsideWalmart’s University Avenuelocation in St. Paul Friday,Nov. 23. They pledged to stand

Fair Trade/Union MadeHoliday Sale in MPLS

Let your shopping this Holiday Season make a difference!When you do your holiday shopping will you know where the

gifts you buy came from? Were they made by child labor? Werethey made in a Sweatshop by someone making $2 a day?

This year, make sure that the workers who make your giftsare treated fairly and ethically, whether its artisan crafts fromaround the world, or clothes made by union members right herein the USA! Here’s what you need to know:

Fair Trade/Union Made Holiday Sale

Sunday, December 2nd 10 am–6 pm

CWA Local 7200 Hall 3521 E Lake St.

Minneapolis, MN 55406This sale is a benefit for the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition,

a nonprofit coalition of over 50 faith, labor, environmental, fam-ily farm, consumer, and human rights groups, that advocates fortrade policy that promotes social and environmental justice.They know that workers across the globe get mutual benefitwhen they stand in solidarity for their rights, and this event isbeing held to promote the values of the movement for GlobalSolidarity.

Items for sale are provided by Ten Thousand Villages, ReglaDe Oro Gallery and Union House.

Entertainment and refreshments will also be available.For more details contact Josh Wise: josh@citizenstrade.org,

952-828-5474. To learn more about the MN Fair TradeCoalition, visit www.mnfairtradecoalition.org

Walmart workers support cardDear Mike Duke (CEO, Walmart),

I AM A WALMART CUSTOMER.I support Walmart associates and warehouse workers in

their fight for:• RESPECT• ENDING RETALIATION FOR SPEAKING OUT• A FREE & FAIR CHOICE OF ASSOCIATION• A LIVING WAGE (ABOVE POVERTY LEVEL)• FAIR SCHEDULINGI believe that a company as profitable as Walmart should

treat their hardworking associates and warehouse workersfairly. This is why I will Stand Up with associates and ware-house workers so they can Live Better.

Get Connected:WEB – forrespect.orgwarehouseworker.orgCALL – 1-888-95-RESPECTFACEBOOK – facebook.com/OURWMTTWITTER – @forrespectOrganization United for Respect at Walmart

with Walmart associates likeGabriel Teneyuque, whoprotested the company’s lowwages and unfair working con-ditions by walking off the jobon Black Friday.

Teneyuque, who works atthe Walmart in Apple Valley, isamong a growing number ofcourageous associates nation-wide who are speaking outdespite Walmart’s record ofretaliating against workers whotry to organize in the work-

place.“When Walmart associates

speak out, Walmart retaliates,”Teneyuque told supporters.“I’m here today to say I willnot be silenced.”

Teneyuque and other strik-ing associates have formed agrassroots campaign, OURWalmart, to pressure the com-pany into raising its wages,providing greater access tohealth care benefits and endingits campaign of intimidationand retaliation against workerswho look to organize.

Don Seaquist, president ofUnited Food and CommercialWorkers Local 1189, said hisunion is committed to fightingfor any Walmart associate whostands up for better workingconditions.

If turnout at the BlackFriday protest is any indication,

the community is committed tothat fight as well. The St. PaulWalmart has been a frequenttarget of UFCW protests overthe last decade. None drew aslarge a crowd as the BlackFriday event, which broughttogether union activists, fami-lies and members of the faithcommunity.

“Workers deserve dignity,and our faith traditions call usto speak out for justice at workand rights of workers to organ-ize,” said Doug Mork, a pastorat Cross of Glory LutheranChurch in Brooklyn Center,who said the Twin Cities faithcommunity would stand

behind striking Walmart asso-ciates. “We’re with you.”

Teneyuque said associateswill need all the communitysupport they can get.

“Our fight doesn’t endtoday,” he said. “This is just thebeginning.”

Fed up with bad workingconditions, company high-handedness and refusal to lis-ten and its low pay, Wal-Martworkers in and around PicoRivera and Mira Loma, Calif,Elwood, Ill., and HialeahGardens, Fla. defied the giantretailer and staged separatestrikes in mid-September andearly October,

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PAGE 4 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Gabriel Teneyuque walkedoff his job at Walmart onBlack Friday. (Michael Moore,Union Advocate photo)

Rukavina roast was a good time had by all event in Mt. Iron...from page 1 thinking. I ask how did he

know. It was in the StarTribune already because Tomthought it played so well inChisholm the whole stateshould hear it.

Jim Oberstar: Sent a letterread by roast co-organizerGary Cerkvenik saying Tomwasn’t always right, but he wasnever in doubt, thanking Tomfor making Minnesota pay bet-ter respect to the Iron Range.

In introducing Sen.Franken, Cerkvenik remindedhim that Democrats found 200votes for Franken’s recount inMt. Iron and another 100 inBuhl, reminding Franken hewon by 312 votes.

Sen. Franken: Said he andKlobuchar had to leave early,we’ve been listening and wewant to get out of here beforeyou people start driving. ToTom’s comment that he andFranken were twins but “I wasthe runt of the litter” Frankensaid, “Tom is one of the biggestmen I know.”

George Erickson writer &traveler (tundracub.com): Tomyou deserve credit for knowingit was time to quit.

Rep. Carly Melin: I wasthe only woman in the Rangedelegation but the least dramat-ic of the group. Tom wasalways at the Capitol by 6:30a.m., the earliest person there.She made it sound like she tried

to sneak by his office door toavoid another episode of howRep. Dill and Senator Bakkwere trying to steal taconite taxdollars. Rukavina interruptedher “No, it was afternoon bythe time you got there!”

Rep. Phyllis Kahn: Shewas arrested for stealing abouta $1.57 of Republican cam-paign literature from a doorwhile she was door knockingher district once and had to goto court. It created quite amedia stir. She got a call about3:00 a.m. from Tom who toldher he had taken the heat offher because he had just gottenarrested for drunken driving.

Kahn started the “Where’sSpunky” story about Tom say-ing on the House floor during adebate on wolves as a protectedspecies that wolves had rippedapart his dog Spunky. It cameto be accepted that wolves hadkilled his dog, but Spunky haddied during the winter andwolves, maybe coyotes, hadfound where Tom had stashedSpunky and eaten him, butTom got a lot of mileage fromhis story in the debate.

Rukavina said he never saidwolves had killed his dog, hesaid they had eaten it. “It waswinter, we have permafrost uphere, a backhoe wasn’t going todig a hole until spring. Wedon’t bring dead animals to thevet up here.” He said back then

you couldn’t shoot a wolfunless it was eating yourgrandkids.

Jerry Janezich (formerstate senator and Chisholm barowner): Has anybody here notgotten their butt ripped by thislittle son of a bitch? Tom madeeveryone a better Democrat, abetter Ranger, and a betterelected official because wealways had someone chirpingin our ear.

Rep. David Dill: Tomalways referred to him as aRepublican and pack sacker.Dill said he never had his namesaid so many times with the“F” word in front of it. “Somepeople thought it was my firstname.”

Congressman-elect RickNolan: (The room erupted in astanding ovation as Nolancame to the podium.) Cerk-venik, Ron Dicklich, andRukavina all thought I was tooold to run for Congress againbut here I am. Radical Rick ashe was called in billions of dol-lars of attack ads got someslack from Tommy theCommie, Nolan said.

Al Juhnke (former staterep. and Tom’s roommate for 8years while they served togeth-er): A staunch Buy Americanguy, Tom’s pickup line was toask women where their under-wear was made. Al was madean honorary member of theIron Range delegation but theymade him pay dues. He learnedabout Iron Range Alzheimer’swhere you forget everythingbut the grudges.

Kevin Fahey (former USWrep. and political activist):Many roasters spoke of gettingphone calls from Tom tellingthem to say nice things abouthim. He called Fahey to say,“Why don’t you tell everybodyhow I helped you!”

Jeff Anderson: As a citizenlobbyist for Duluth he was atthe Capitol with WLSSD’sKurt Soderberg trying to get ameeting with Tom. They could-n’t but got to him in a hallway.Before the two Ely nativescould say a word, Tom said, “Ifyou want to talk to me aboutmoney for Duluth, screw you!”Tom’s not a big Duluth guy.

George Sundstrom: Toformer state rep. Joe Begichwho was sitting in the front ofthe crowd but wasn’t a roaster:“Joe Begich your apprentice isretiring, you taught him well!”

Rep-elect Jason Metsa,who will represent Tom’s dis-trict: I may have been electedbut I’ll never replace Tom, who

was like a father figure to manyof us young Rangers, and hecould have been, he was themilkman.

Rep. Tom Rukavina:When he got the microphoneyou could tell he didn’t wantthe night to end. He said he hadwanted to let the people speakbut it had gotten too late.

He responded to nearlyevery roaster’s comments.

He said he told Kahn thatstealing campaign literaturewas okay “we do it all thetime.” She was worried that hemay lose the election becauseof his DUI. He told her he’dprobably pick up a few morepoints instead.

Rukavina’s lowest voterpercentage since 1986 was73.3%. Many elections he gotover 80% of the vote. His onlyloss was when he first ran in1982 in the DFL Primaryagainst Rep. Dominic Elioff.He lost by 12 votes out of10,710 cast. He had served onthe Virginia School Board andPike Town Board before hislegislative run.

“To my colleagues from theother parts of the state and tothe new Range delegation Iwant you to remember thatmining is the Iron Range,”Rukavina said in closing.“Without mining we are noth-ing. We work hard, we playhard, and contribute so much tothis country. I could go on all

night.” THE SCHOLARSHIPThe Representative Tom

Rukavina Scholarship has beenestablished at Mesabi RangeCommunity and Technical Col-lege. Donations totalling nearly$15,000 came in at theroast/fundraiser said Cerkvenik

Checks can be made to:Mesabi College Foundation,Rukavina Scholarship, 1001Chestnut Street West, Virginia,MN 55792.

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No, that’s not Sen. Franken,it’s his twin, Rep. TomRukavina. Tommy theCommie greeted everyonewho came through the foodline at his roast, and thenworked the crowd before thefestivities started. Paul Fishthanked the retiring Tom forhis work

American Crystal Sugar profits fall sharply as costs rise, production downAmerican Crystal Sugar

recently disclosed its 2012financial results showing thatthe sugar beet processing coop-erative has seen its costs riseand profits sink during the firstfull year since it locked out1,300 workers represented bythe Bakery, Confectionery,

Wendy Mattinen’s telling youthere’s one week left to donateto Laborers Local 1091’s fooddrive to help needy families.Bring donations to the table atthe end of the Labor Temple’s1st floor hallway. Thanks!

Tobacco Workers, and GrainMillers International Union(BCTGM) in August 2011.

An AFL-CIO boycott ofAmerican Crystal Sugar beganOct. 15 and has been expandedto include other ACS sugarproducts, extending to brandsthat package American Crystal

Sugar under different names,including Target’s “MarketPantry” sugar sold inMinnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa,and North Dakota.

Some highlights of theannual report include:

• Profits have fallen. Netproceeds fell more than 30% infiscal 2012 to $555 million,compared to $811 million forthe fiscal year that endedAugust 31, 2011. The amountreceived by growers per ton ofbeets fell more than $14 to$58.67. In contrast, farmers atMinn-Dak FarmersCooperative are projected toreceive $74.05 per ton in 2012.Western Sugar expects $82.70per ton, and Michigan Sugarexpects $87.74 per ton.

• Production is down. Tonsof products produced and solddeclined more than 15% in fis-cal 2012, to the lowest level ina decade. Production ofmolasses - a less valuable prod-uct compared to sugar - grew124% due to storage problemsand production delays.

• Debt continues to rise.Short-term debt increased to$110 million at the end ofAugust 2012, a 66% increasefrom the $66.2 million in debtat the end of fiscal 2011, and a2100% increase from $5 mil-lion in debt at the end of fiscal2010. American Crystal had itslender increase its line of cred-it by $60 million.

• CEO pay remains high.CEO David Berg received $1.7million in total compensationin 2012, including take-homepay of $659,000.

American Crystal Sugar’sannual report shows that theongoing lockout has con-tributed to a spike in the cost ofsales and lower profits. Unionmembers said that these resultsshould cause growers to ques-tion management’s unyieldingdemands for steep concessionsby workers.

“Beet farmers who areshareholders of AmericanCrystal Sugar are getting lessmoney per ton,” said RenaeFredrickson, a locked outmember of BCTGM Local167G who is also a sharehold-er. “Shareholders would be in amuch better position today ifthe company had used themoney spent for the lockout onimprovement and maintenanceof the factories to ensure aprosperous future, with a goal

of annually planting and har-vesting 100% of the availableshares. With a bumper cropcoming in this year, we will notwant to lose out again if thelockout continues.”

John Riskey, president ofBCTGM Local 167G, calledon American Crystal Sugar’smanagement to reconsider itshardline approach to the lock-out, saying that “CEO DavidBerg now has the opportunityto realize that he has taken thecompany in the wrong direc-tion. As the ACS annual reportshows, cost-cutting at theexpense of trained and experi-enced workers has been veryshort-sighted and damaging."

ACS has processing plantsin East Grand Forks,Crookston, and Moorhead,Minn.; Hillsboro and Drayton,N.D.; and packaging and trans-portation sites in Chaska,Minn. and Mason City, Iowa.Workers are represented byvarious BCTGM Locals.

PAGE 6 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Underground electric, natural gas and phone lines need to be located at your work site before digging to avoid utility line accidents. If you’re land-

scaping or gardening on your property or clearing land at a construction site, youmust call Gopher State One Call at 1-800-252-1166 before you excavate.

They’re a state-wide center that notifies utilities of your dig site. Utility personnel visit the site and mark underground lines, wire or pipe with paint or flags.

You need to call 48 hours prior to the start of digging. It’s a FREE SERVICE that can save you time, trouble and perhaps your life.

Greg RindalMinnesota Power Safety Manager

Call Gopher State One Callbefore you DIG at1-800-252-1166

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The endorsement and support Ireceived from our Labor Communitywas a huge reason I was able to be re-elected. Thank you! I will continue to work hard on behalf

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Steve O’NeilSt. Louis County Board, District 2

Proud to be Labor EndorsedPaid for by Steve O’Neil Volunteer Committee

Hey, where did all those pensions go in America? Can you guess why?

Worker education institute launched

By Jackie Tortora AFL-CIO News BlogWASHINGTON - A total of

84,350 pension plans have van-ished since 1985. This figureshocked Pulitzer Prize-winningauthors Donald L. Barlett andJames W. Steele, who justreleased their latest book, "TheBetrayal of the AmericanDream."

Steele said there is anothernumber we should pay atten-tion to: $17,686. That's themedian value of 401(k)accounts in 2011. For mostworking people, the amount intheir 401(k) account would paythem less than $80 a month forlife.

“What's happening withretirement is almost parallel towhat you see happening inother parts of the economy,” hesaid. “The elite has its agendato eliminate pensions with theshift to 401(k)s, which costcompanies less. Now, there’s arevenue stream for Wall Streetand an obligation shift to peo-ple with little or no experienceunderstanding how to deal withtheir own retirement issues....This is typical of all the otherthings the (economic elitehave) been doing for decadeswith deregulation, unrestrictedfree trade and tax cuts—thesethings are all related.

“In the '50s, '60s and '70s,the amount of workers withaccess to pensions was signifi-cantly rising,” said Steele. “Wefully underestimated the speedin which the downturn wouldoccur, and how Congress wentalong and encouraged it.”

Barlett and Steele write that

the shift from defined-benefitpension plans to 401(k)s beganin the 1980s. Companies real-ized 401(k)s would substantial-ly reduce corporate costs.Workers were told that pen-sions no longer made sense andwere outdated since peoplemoved around from job to job.The 401(k) was marketed asmore “portable.”

Steele said 401(k)s wereengineered by corporations asanother way for the wealthyexecutives to set aside money.They were never intended to bea principal retirement plan,only a supplement.

“Once corporate Americagot on to this, the idea tookroot,” he said. “The entire obli-gation shifted to the employ-ees.”

Congress ignored the con-cerns raised by trade unionsand other pension rights organ-izations. And the consequencesare dire for middle- and lower-income workers.

“This is so typical of whathas been happening over thelast two to three decades,” saidSteele. “This is the slow, steadyerosion of economic securityAmericans had (or thoughtthey had)....Now economicpundits, corporate folks andWall Street people are sayingpeople just have to worklonger, in part because retire-ment plans now in place willnot provide much security topeople as they get older.”

Barlett and Steele featurestories of average people whodid everything right (saved,worked hard) but are still livingon the edge of poverty becauseof policies that enhance the rich

at the expense of everyone else.“Over and over again, peo-

ple thought they had somethinggood. They were working hardand then, through no fault oftheir own, lost it all. Most peo-ple we talked to in the book areemployed,” Steele said.

With the decline of pen-sions, it’s even more importantto strengthen, not cut, SocialSecurity benefits. Although thecountry dodged a bullet in2005, when Bush’s plan forSocial Security privatizationfizzled, Steele said we stillneed to be vigilant to protectour benefits from the Wall

Street casino.“Don and I make this point

that the 2008 recession would-n’t look a whole lot differentfrom the Great Depression ifwe didn’t have Social Securityand Medicare because therewas no safety net then,” hesaid.

The economic elite, saidSteele, attack Social Securitybecause it’s a large pool ofmoney for Wall Street to playwith.

For more information visitthe authors’ website www.barlettandsteele.com/books/index.php

(PAI)--Saying the labormovement needs a push fromthe left to grow, a group ofthree dozen activists met Nov.18 in Washington to launch anew worker education institute.

Led by retired Communi-cations Workers EducationDirector Dennis Serrette andcurrent AFGE EducationDirector and noted author BillFletcher, the group said the aimof their new Lucy GonzalezParsons Institute for Educationand Justice is to reawakenactivism in the labor movementand to challenge the basicstructure of a capitalist systemthat too often trashes workersin the name of corporate greed.

The union movement, theysaid, has not challenged thatbasic assumption since the RedScare just after World War II.But current conditions, includ-ing the growing income gulfbetween the rich and the rest ofus, make it mandatory to raisequestions about the nature ofthe system, Serrette said.

That would be the functionof their new institute, namedfor the activist Lucy Parsons,an Industrial Workers of theWorld co-founder and wife of

Albert Parsons, one of the eightso-called “anarchists” – reallylabor agitators -- convictedunjustly of causing the fatalpolice-labor clash at Chicago’sHaymarket Square in 1886.The institute will start in D.C.Organizers hope to establishsimilar institutes elsewhere.

“Democracy in this countryends when you go to work,”said another speaker, BarbaraEhrenreich, author of Nickeledand Dimed in America. It’s notjust a case of denial of workers’rights under the National LaborRelations Act, she added.

While working on the book,Ehrenreich discovered employ-er repression was so pervasivethat “I found – and I couldn’tbelieve this, but it was true –that somebody got fired inDallas for wearing a Green BayPackers T-shirt to work...Andone Target worker wrote me hewas held for 11 hours in asecret little interrogation room,without food or water or beingallowed to call for an attorney,because he was suspected –wrongly – of theft.”

“You can’t be fired forbeing a woman or a minority,”due to federal anti-discrimi-

nation laws, Ehrenreich noted.“But you can be fired for ‘hav-ing a bad attitude,’ and yourboss determines what’s a badattitude.”

But workers are so influ-enced by the present capitalistsystem that they have notmobilized against such system-atic injustices on the job,Fletcher said. One reason theyhaven’t done so is lack of edu-cation, particularly educationin class consciousness.

“There’s a link between theleft and labor – one that mostlabor leaders would deny,”Fletcher added. “But whenunions have grown, that’sbecause the left was pushingthem.” He drew chuckles whenhe said that until about 15 yearsago, the U.S. labor movementwas so supportive of U.S. for-eign and military policy thatthe AFL-CIO “was knownoverseas as the AFL-CIA.”

“Our common enemy isglobal capitalism,” he conclud-ed, and the Parsons Institutehopes to make that point.

More info is at www.lucygonzalezparsonsinstitute.org.

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Wisconsin’s income inequality rose twice as fast as Minnesota’s in 10 yearsBy Mark GruenbergPAI Staff WriterIncome inequality – the gap

between the rich and the rest ofus – widened by varyingdegrees, state by state, a newreport shows. In only one state,New Hampshire, did incomesof the middle fifth of the popu-lation (+$6,903) grow fasterthan those of the top fifth(+$6,688). And that was fromthe mid-1990s, the peak of theprior business cycle, to 2006-07, the peak of this one, addsPulling Apart: A State-By-StateAnalysis Of Income Trends.

“The widening income gapat the national level hasbecome a topic of national dis-cussion, thanks to the Occupymovement,” said report co-author Doug Hall of theEconomic Policy Institute.“But we did this state-by-stateanalysis so the states would

have opportunities, in their leg-islative sessions, to push backagainst these trends.”

Report co-authors Hall ofEPI and Elizabeth McNichol ofthe Center on Budget and Pol-icy Priorities note their studymay understate state-by-stategaps between the rich and therest of us, especially in thelargest states. Census Bureaudata, which they used, does notinclude revenue from capitalgains – a huge source ofincome for the rich. The dataalso does not include the bitetaken out of workers’ incomesby state taxes.

“Average householdincomes fell among all classesduring the 2007-2009 reces-sion, but the large capital loss-es associated with the stockmarket crash -- which dispro-portionately affected wealthierhouseholds -- drove inequality

down,” the report says. “Theeconomy has since begun togrow again, and while incomesat the top have begun torebound, incomes among poorand middle-income householdshave not...The economy isonce again expanding, butwage and income growth isonce again accruing largely tohouseholds at the top of theincome scale.”

Hall and McNichol said thesame five factors that led to thewidening national gap betweenthe rich and the rest of us – asteep drop in manufacturing, adecline in private sector union-ization from 22% in 1979 tounder 8% now, globalization,the lower value of the mini-mum wage, and longer periodsof joblessness – accounted forstate gaps, too.

“Income gaps grew themost in Mississippi, South

Dakota, Connecticut, Illinois,and Alabama,” comparing thetop fifth and the lowest fifth,the report says.

In the U.S. as a whole, theratio of the income gapbetween the top 5% and bottomfifth of households rose from11.7-1 in the late 1990s to 14.1-1 by the mid-2000s.

States can take moves toreduce income inequality, thereport says. They include rais-ing state minimum wages andindexing the wage to inflation,increasing education spending,supporting unionization – asopposed to efforts to eliminatecollective bargaining – andincreasing the length of unem-ployment benefits.

A questioner from Wiscon-sin noted that proposals arepending there next year tomake the Badger State a “rightto work” state. Wisconsin isGOP-run with Radical RightWing anti-union RepublicanGovernor Scott Walker.

“Right to work states areintentionally and explicitlymoving income away fromlow- and moderate-incomeworkers, so that’s not the wayto go,” Hall said. “And attackson public workers” as carriedout by Gov. Scott Walker, “areharmful, as those are jobs thatallow people to become middleincome,” he added.

The report, with state-by-state tables, is at www.epinet.org and www.cbpp.org.

Minnesota at –2.9%In Minnesota the average

drop in incomes among thebottom 20% of householdsover the last decade was–2.9%. Middle income house-

holds dropped –2%, while therichest 20% of households sawa +5.9% increase.

From the late 1970s to themid-2000s, the change in MNhousehold income group was:

Poorest 20% = +18.4%Middle 20% = +41.3%Richest 20% = + 78.3% The poorest 20% of MN

households have averageincomes of $24,400, the middle20% average $67,900, whilethe richest 5% average$269,100.

Wisconsin at –5.7%In Wisconsin the average

drop in incomes among thebottom 20% of householdsover the last decade was–2.9%. Middle income house-holds had no change, while therichest 20% of households sawa +5.3% increase.

From the late 1970s to themid-2000s, the change in WIhousehold income group was:

Poorest 20% = +6.1%Middle 20% = +25.5%Richest 20% = + 65.7% The poorest 20% of WI

households have averageincomes of $24,700, the middle20% average $63,900, whilethe richest 5% average$245,800.

The latest RasmussenReports survey found that 57percent of likely voters favorraising taxes on people whoearn more than $250,000 a yearand 35 percent are opposed. InFebruary 2009, Rasmussenreported, only 51% felt thatObama’s plan to raise taxes onthose earning $250,000 a yearwould be good for the econo-my. Just 28% consider them tobe wealthy.

PAGE 8 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

People call us all the time saying thatthe insurance company is sending themto a doctor for an independent medicalexam. They ask, ‘Do I have to go?’ Theinsurance company has the right tosend you to a doctor of their choosing,not to help you but to write a reportfor them. If you don’t have onealready, by this time you needa competent attorney.

ON THE ADVERSE MEDICAL EXAM:

The Duluth Building & Construction Trades Council gavethe United Way of Greater Duluth’s Campaign somethingto be thankful for Nov. 20 with their annual donation, $400over last year’s. Proceeds from the Trades Golf Outing inJune generate the donation. Next year’s outing is June 8.Left to right are Lynette Swanberg, Community ServicesProgram Director, Paula Reed, Executive Director UWGD,Dan Olson, Laborers Local 1091, DBCTC Rec. Sec. andGolf Outing Chair, and DBCTC president Craig Olson,Painters & Allied Trades Local 106.